Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza, left, and his identical twin brother, John Snaza, the current Thurston County Sheriff, hold one of John's old campaign signs as they pose for a portrait in Rob's backyard near Napavine in 2013.
It’s old news for Thurston and Lewis county residents, but a national audience can now choose to “Believe It or Not” when they read about Washington’s twin sheriffs.
The newest book from Ripley’s Believe It or Not, called “Eye Popping Oddities!,” will feature several stories from Washington, including twins Rob and John Snaza, elected county sheriffs of Lewis and Thurston counties, respectively.
“It’s exciting,” said Rob Snaza. “How often do twin brothers get to be sheriffs in adjoining counties? I don’t know if it’s ever happened.”
Rob Snaza was elected in 2014 and began serving as Lewis County Sheriff in January 2015. John Snaza was elected in 2010 and began serving in January 2011 as Thurston County Sheriff, and was re-elected for a second term starting January 2015.
“John wanted me to run back when he did,” Rob Snaza said.” John hadn’t thought about being sheriff until maybe a year before he ran, but I was thinking about it for years.”
Both have been in law enforcement in neighboring counties since the 1990s, and have often been confused for each other.
“Even when we were working the roads together … people would say, ‘I just saw you, what are you doing back here?’ ” Rob Snaza said. “We’ve had very similar careers that mirrored each other and have just been very fortunate.”
The new book will also feature several other oddities from Washington state, including stories of alleged dinosaur poop, a math genius, glass artists, football fans and china made out of bone.
The book features a 40-inch long fossil believed to be dinosaur poop that was found in Washington and later sold for $8,500 in 2014 in Beverly Hills.
It also profiles, Jason Padgett, 31, of Tacoma, who was punched in the head at a bar in Tacoma and later became a math and physics prodigy. The brain injury reportedly unlocked a part of his brain that let him understand complex mathematical ideas. He was diagnosed with acquired savant syndrome.
Also featured is Wilson, a 29-inch-tall pony owned by Seattle resident Sarah Kessler. Wilson is known as the Seattle Seahawks’ most famous fan, and had his mane and tail painted in the team’s colors.
Glassblower Jason Gamrath, of Seattle, is featured in the anthology for his 12-foot-tall glass flowers. Gamrath is known for donning a flame-proof suit and climbing in a specially made oven to sculpt his creations.
Charles Craft, of Seattle, earned his spot in the Ripley’s book by making fine bone china out of human bones. He mixes cremation ash with clay to create mementos of the dead.
The last Washington artist featured, also from Seattle, is Carol Milne, who creates works of art that look like knitted glass. The four-week process starts with a wax mold which is then encased in another material that can withstand high temperatures.
She melts the wax with hot steam and fills the cavity with molten glass. When the glass cools, she chips away the mold, leaving a knitted effect.
